Book Review 001: The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Five Favorite Quotes

“We must do our work for its own sake, not for fortune or attention or applause.”

“The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.”

“Are you paralyzed with fear? That’s a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: the more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”

“Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”

"Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. That's why we feel so much Resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there'd be no Resistance.”

Three Takeaways

We are all called to do the work: Resistance keeps people from doing the work necessary to accomplish their calling. The excuses we make, the fears we have, and the self-doubt all play a part in keeping us from our most important work. However, the best part: when we know this we can change it.

How to be a professional: Pressfield does a great job of showing us how to overcome all the challenges that resistance poses to our work. To combat resistance we must become pro. A pro doesn’t show off. Nor does a pro come unprepared. A pro faces resistance - whatever that looks like.

The magic of professionalism: When we do persist toward our calling, something magical happens. We begin to see things in our life that we were not aware could happen before. What happens when you face your primary fears? The next challenge becomes facing the fear that you will succeed. Yes, the fear that you will succeed. It's easy to become scared of our potential. Most people limit themselves. We ask: How will you live up to the hype?. The magic comes out when we battle for our inner creativity.

Two Reasons to Read The War of Art

If you are in the middle of your first (or fiftieth) creative project: The War of Art breaks down straightforward issues that get in the way of all creative processes. The creation process brings us closer to God and who we are made to be. You will have to eventually face resistance if you want to create work that matters.

If you want to identify what ‘professional’ really means: Many people never will commit to do creative projects because they are waiting for the ‘professional’ label. Professionalism is much different in 2016 than it was in 2006. Not in principal but in action. If you want to know what professionalism is in 2016, this book is a great start.